Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The picture illustrates, step by step process involved in the formation of rain-shadow deserts.

Overall, it is a 7 steps process, starting with the wind movement towards the coastal area which eventually leads to the cloud formation and ends with up forming the rain-shadow desert.

The process commerces with the wind approaching towards the sea coast, which gets pushed upwards towards the mountains and there it cools, leading to the formation of clouds. These clouds further move towards the top of the mountain. Multiple clouds resides there getting more and more dense.

other step of process involves rain movement at the top of the mountain. After this step, dry air continues to move towards the leeward side of mountain. In the final step, dry wind reached the inland area forming rain-shadow desert. In this jounery wind travel more than thousand kilomet

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While you have identified the main stages of the process, the description is somewhat superficial. The final sentence is incomplete, cutting off mid-thought, which prevents a full summary of the information provided in the diagram. To improve, ensure you provide a more detailed account of each stage, including the specific conditions (such as moisture levels or temperature changes) depicted in the visual, and ensure the response is fully developed and reaches the minimum length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into short paragraphs, which is appropriate for a report. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. While you use some transition words like 'Overall' and 'In the final step', the flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'other step of process', which lacks a proper article and feels abrupt. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to link your sentences more naturally and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, logical focus.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision required for a higher band. There are several errors in word choice and form, such as 'commerces' instead of 'commences' and 'resides' used to describe clouds. Additionally, there are spelling errors like 'jounery'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To improve, try to incorporate more precise scientific or descriptive terminology related to weather processes, such as 'prevailing winds', 'precipitation', or 'arid conditions', and proofread carefully to avoid basic spelling and word-form mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. Examples include 'it is a 7 steps process' (should be '7-step process'), 'wind approaching towards' (redundant preposition), and 'wind reached' (incorrect tense consistency). Punctuation is also inconsistent, and the final sentence is incomplete, which is a major grammatical issue. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that all sentences are complete and grammatically sound. Reviewing basic sentence construction will help you achieve greater accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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